1st Lt. David Bauders, Washington Army National Guard
Army National Guardsman 1st Lt. David Bauders, of Seattle, Washington died in a non-combat related incident on May 6, 2016 at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. 1st Lt. Bauders was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 176th Engineer Company, Washington Army National Guard in Snohomish, Washington. Bauders was a Washington State Patrol trooper and he deployed with the Army National Guard for a one year deployment beginning in February 2016. At the time of the DoD press release, the incident was under investigation. The official cause of death is unknown.
1st Lt. David A. Bauders, Washington Army National Guard
Army Sgt. John ‘Drew’ Stobbe, 31, was found dead at his off-post residence on May 1, 2016 in Killeen, Texas. At the time of reporting, the Army indicated the incident was under investigation. Sgt. Stobbe’s home of record is listed as Beaverton, Oregon; he joined the Army in September 2004. Sgt. Stobbe was an M1 armor crewman assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood. He deployed three times to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn: December 2005 to November 2006, June 2008 to May 2009, and September 2010 to August 2011. The circumstances surrounding his death and official cause of death are unknown.
He was a proud and capable Sergeant in the US Army, serving his country for over 11 years. Trained as a tanker, Drew loved the power and maneuverability of the M1-A2 Abrams tanks. He was a skillful instructor and respected leader of his crews. His service included three tours in Iraq and foreign posts in Germany and South Korea. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas at the time of his death. His abrupt and unforeseen death will not define Drew’s life or memory. While he left us all too early for reasons that elude our understanding, he knows the peace and love of our savior, Jesus Christ. In a very real sense, Drew was always ‘public property’ a child, boy, and man who loved all and was beloved by all. –Obituary
Marine Veteran & Civilian Contractor Kenneth Gadson Found Guilty of the Rape & Murder of Rina Shimabukuro; Sentenced to Life in Japanese Prison (December 1, 2017)
Tricia Todd, U.S. Air Force Veteran (Photo: HuffPost)
SSgt Steven Williams, 30, US Air Force, and USAF veteran Tricia Todd, 30, were married for 11 years and had one child
Williams and Todd divorced on February 2, 2016
Williams was stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina
Tricia Todd lived in Hobe Sound, Florida with their only child
Williams traveled to Florida to visit their only child
Tricia vanished from Florida on April 26, 2016
Williams is accused in May 2016 of murdering Tricia Todd
Williams admitted to getting in an argument about finances & pushed Todd
Williams pleaded no contest to the second degree murder of Tricia Todd
Williams was sentenced to 35 years in prison if he led investigators to the body
Williams led investigators to her mutilated body in Florida
Williams could face additional federal penalties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) as he was an active member of the armed forces at the time the crime was committed
According to The Object of Murder (Investigation Discovery), civilian prosecutors want the Air Force to try Williams in a military death penalty trial but the Air Force has not taken any action thus far
In the News:
Part 1: Tricia Todd’s life was filled with intense moments of both love and violence. She wrote in great detail about those moments on her online blog. -True Crime Daily (November 11, 2016)
Part 2: Murdered Woman’s Journal Helps Catch Her Killer -True Crime Daily (November 11, 2016)
Part 1: Tricia Todd divorced her husband Steven Williams after more than ten years of marriage. Before Tricia went missing, she wrote in an online journal about falling for another man, and that her husband had a dark side. She was later found dead. -True Crime Daily (March 30, 2017)
Part 2: Murdered Woman’s Diary Helps Catch Her Killer -True Crime Daily (March 30, 2017)
Tricia Todd’s life was filled with intense moments of both love and violence. She wrote in great detail about those moments on her blog. -True Crime Daily (November 16, 2018)
Investigation Discovery:
In 2016, 33-year-old Tricia Todd was reported missing after failing to pick up her daughter from a babysitter. As her family hoped and prayed, investigators found her online journal that revealed the true horror of what had happened. -Beauty for Ashes, The Object of Murder (S1,E1)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Fort Carson soldier Branden Harms, 28, admitted to raising his hand against 4-month-old Ava Bermudez inflicting injuries severe enough to kill her on April 18, 2016. Harms was entrusted to care for his girlfriend’s newborn daughter. Investigators say the injuries were inflicted while the child’s mother, also his live-in girlfriend, Jessica Bermudez, went out with a friend. Harms was arrested by the Fountain Police on April 19, 2016. Branden Harms pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death and also admitted to withholding medical care. He faced 40-48 years in prison at sentencing on May 16, 2017.
Taking a deep breath in court, Harms described how he “almost saw black” and then began to “excessively spank her. Sometime after that, I began to choke her,” he said. “Further after that, when I was putting her in her crib, I wasn’t gentle.” The former soldier suggested that he threw the girl into her crib with enough force to split its wooden bottom, sending the infant to the floor beneath. “After that,” he added, “I kind of snapped to, and it was too late.” –Colorado Gazette
Air Force A1C Nathaniel McDavitt, 22, of Glen Burnie, Maryland died April 15, 2016 as a result of injuries sustained after extreme winds caused structural damage to the building in which he was working. A1C McDavitt was temporarily deployed to Jordan with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing for joint training exercises with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF). He was an F-16 crew chief supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron, 407th Air Expeditionary Group at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. According to The Jordan Times, the US embassy in Amman was looking into the cause of the accident that killed A1C McDavitt. His family set up a memorial scholarship fund in his name.
There is no indication yet whether the building in question was on or off a U.S. military base in the region. A spokesperson for AFCENT said the 407th group is part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, but that the unit is geographically separated from the wing. Due to “host nation sensitivities,” the Air Force won’t release the 407th’s location. –Air Force Times
Maria Ridulph, 7, disappeared on December 3, 1957 in Sycamore, Illinois. She was found stabbed to death a few months later. Air Force veteran John Tessier (aka Jack McCullough) of Seattle, Washington, 17 at the time, was convicted in 2012 of the kidnapping and murder of Maria and sentenced to life in prison. It was the oldest cold case in the country to be solved but soon that victory would be lost and conviction overturned on appeal. A prosecutor found evidence that supported McCullough’s long-held alibi that he had been 40 miles away at the time of the disappearance. As a matter of fact, the former Captain was enlisting in the Air Force and left for active duty service a few days later. A certificate of innocence was issued and Jack McCullough was set free on April 15, 2016. Despite the past sexual abuse of minors allegations, which McCullough doesn’t deny, he wants to clear his name of the homicide. McCullough is suing the State of Illinois for wrongful conviction. The case remains unsolved to this day.
Retired police officer Jack McCullough was convicted of murder in Illinois more than half a century after the crime. But he was released Friday after a prosecutor found he could not have done it. McCullough says he will sue the state for the suffering five years of imprisonment. “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
A lonely ex-military man meets up with a much younger beautiful woman, and together they fall in love. Or so they think. Until a deadly combination of greed, worry, and secrets leaves one dead and the other on the run… wanted for murder. -Shades of Jade, A Stranger in My Home (S3,E8)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Army Staff Sgt. Steven Lewis, 33, was found dead in his off-post residence in Killeen, Texas on March 22, 2016. According to reports, the Killeen police department said Lewis’ wound was self-inflicted. He was working as an intelligence specialist and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood. Lewis deployed to Iraq twice from November 2008 to September 2009 and again from December 2010 to October 2011. His home of record was Tulare, California. He first joined the Navy in 2002 and later joined the Army in 2007; he had been stationed at Fort Hood since 2013.
Former Fort Hood Battalion Commander Col. Andrew Poznick was found dead at his off-post residence near Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania on March 20, 2016. Col. Poznick was scheduled to join the faculty at the Army War College. Col. Poznick was born on the Fort Bragg, North Carolina post and was considered an Army brat. He himself joined the Army in 1993 as an infantry officer after graduating from Auburn University in Alabama. At Fort Hood, Col. Poznick commanded the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom twice, once in 2006 and again in 2011, where he commanded the last combat troops to exit Iraq on December 18, 2011. Media reports indicate Col. Poznick took his own life.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 